Of Men and Mewtwo
by Exilo
Summary: A tale of blood, suspicion, and love. Starring a psychic super cat, a space wolf, a bounty hunter, a gender changing princess, her suspicious boyfriend, eskimos, sociopaths, swordsmen and an electric mouse with a huge head! Bad summary, good story. Done!
1. Chapter 1

**I was originally going to write this as a parody, but I just find it really hard to write funny, so instead, this is just a more light hearted fic than I usually do. I mean, come on, how serious can a Super Smash Bros. fic be? Read and review please, and have fun.**

_Chapter 1_

Samus grunts of exertion filled the confines of the gym.

"Word of advice," snickered Wolf, leaning casually against the mirrored wall in front of the bench. His tail was wagging slightly as he watched her. "Most people don't like the bulky chick look."

"Just trying to maintain my girlish figure, mutt," Samus muttered.

"Think about it, Peachy has the plumber. Princess Z has the elf. Don't see a Mr. Aran anywhere. What about that dragon who's always chasing after you?"

"I can assure you, Ridley and my relationship is purely professional. My parents killed his parents, he killed my parents. I'm a bounty hunter, he has a bounty on his head. He's a pirate, I kill pirates. It's a vicious cycle."

"How 'bout that Rundas guy?"

"I killed him," she muttered. She was on her fifteenth rep now, tirelessly grunting and pushing the bar, weighing two hundred pounds up with surprising ease, which was more than he weighed last time he checked. Wolf had to admit, she scared him. Even without that power suit of hers, she was quite the specimen. Human women were something new to him, and he wasn't exactly found of Peach. She was so damn delicate. He had had a match with her not too long ago, and had opened a nice gash on her belly, tearing through her white dress. She had continued the fight, which he had to admire, but he had purposely handled her carefully, not wanting to hurt her _too_ bad, if only to avoid Mario's wraith.

"Not really sure why Fox and I don't like each other."

"You're the bad guy," she huffed.

"No one's arguing that, but does that mean that Fox is good. Just because others are bad, does not imply that you are good?"

Samus locked her arms at the elbow, waiting for Wolf to come over and take the weight. He had to struggle holding it, but tried to resist showing any strain as he placed the bar onto the bench.

"You were talking to the clone again, weren't you?"

"You shouldn't call him the clone. You can call him Mewtwo, or Super Cat Thing. And yes, I was."

"I don't know why he likes you so much, I was pretty sure he hates everyone."

"Us monsters have a lot in common. Besides I need to keep friendly with him, otherwise who will tell me what Pikachu wants when she comes running up screaming 'Pika! Pikachu?' I'd kick the rodent away but then she shocks me."

Looking in the mirror, Samus worked to tie her long blonde hair into a ponytail. Otherwise the locks would rest on her shoulders and make her sweat more than she already was. She was going to punch Wolf across the muzzle when she noticed he was panting, but remembered he lacked sweat glands, which was why his fur always seemed to stay so dry no matter what he did.

Even without her boots and him wearing his, she was taller than him by roughly eight inches, which would have made him maybe 5'2" to her near six feet. Presently he was bare foot, wearing only a pair of gym shorts and a white tank top that contrasted sharply with his grey fur, which meant the advantage in height was even more apparent.

"So let me get this straight, you can understand Bowser, but you can't understand Pikachu?"

"Of course I can. Bowser makes perfect sense. What the hell does saying 'Pikachu' over and over again mean?"

Samus shrugged, looking at the center of the gym, finally clear. Droplets of blood were spilled on the ground and had yet to be cleaned up. She tried to remember who had been fighting there. Ike and Marth most likely. They always seemed to be fighting. Meta Knight had taken to training Kirby in swordsmanship, but she wasn't sure if either bled red. Mario and Luigi sparred all the time, but that wouldn't account for all the blood, unless the green one had finally released his repressed anger in the form of a thorough beat down.

"Care for a nice sparring?" she asked.

Wolf could admit that Samus scared him, but it was a well known fact that Wolf had more guts than brains, so he gave a slight nod and followed Samus into the center of the gym. Besides, he liked to fight, and the chance to fight someone like Samus outside of the competition was not a chance he would pass up. It was a good time to analyze her, learn her strengths and weaknesses, her preferences. How fast could she kick, how hard could she hit, how many hits she could take. If the situation called for it, would she bite him or did she have that ridiculous notion of fair play.

"Best two out of three?" Wolf asked, assuming his stance, hunched and low to the ground, claws at the ready. She would slice up just as nice as Peach did.

"Best one out of one," Samus said.

"Don't worry darlin, it won't be so bad. I'll make it quick."

Wolf began to circle the bounty hunter, who stayed perfectly still, only her eyes moving to keep focus of her opponent. "Haven't got your fancy little cannon," he growled. "Don't even have your little whip. But I got these," he said, extending his spine to an upright position and cracking his knuckles, then holding his hands up, palms towards him, claws sharp and polished.

That was the chance that Samus was waiting for. In an instant she had covered the ground separating them and smashed a fist into Wolf's extended snout. It was like being hit with a sledgehammer. Wolf flipped in the air, senses reeling, but managed to regain his composure and land on all fours, letting out a long roar.

Samus took a step forward, left foot grounding in the cushioned floor before pivoting, right leg extended. Only by flattening to the ground did Wolf avoid the kick, and immediately pounced upon her, jaws snapping furiously. Samus took hold of him by the collar bone and forehead, working at keeping the ivory fangs from reaching her throat. She hoisted him back, and finally took a firm grip of his ear and started to yank with all her might. There was a yelp of pain as Wolf backed away, but quickly lashed forward, clawed forefinger catching the skin on Samus' cheek and opening a large gash that stretched from just below her ear to her chin. She took a moment to touch the crimson trickle, before bracing herself as Wolf charged forward, smashing into her.

She was more winded than she thought she would be, which was why Wolf had the opportunity to mount her and hold her hands down at her sides. She would be dead in a normal fight. She knew Wolf, knew that he would take this moment to snap his jaws onto her throat and finish her. But this wasn't a real fight, it was a sparring match. Death was not the goal. Humiliation was. Rather than fang her, he dragged his tongue over her lips in a makeshift kiss. "See," he chuckled. "Not so bad."

Samus smashed her forehead into Wolf's snout, knocking him back, before placing a foot on his stomach and kicking him backwards. He tried to shake his head to regain his senses, and rise to continue the fight, but Samus dropped a foot onto his throat, pinning him between the ground and her own unyielding weight. He clawed furiously at her thigh, until she weighed down harder, nearly snapping his larynx cleanly in two.

"You win," he whimpered.

Samus smiled a little, before winding her foot back and swinging her foot into his head, knocking him out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Short chapter, so I figured I could throw this out there. Hope you like it.**

_Chapter 2_

Wolf's jaw had mostly stopped hurting by that night, but his pride would be sore for years to come. It didn't help that, somehow, everyone knew about Samus' victory. The nicer of the brawlers; Zelda, Nana and Popo, just gave a polite nod when they passed him in the hallway, coming out of the infirmary. Not being very social, this didn't strike him as out of the ordinary. For the life of him, he couldn't understand the pokemon, or Kirby for that matter, so he paid no attention to their whispers behind his back. He wasn't sure Mr. Game and Watch could understand an idea like victory and defeat. He couldn't read his facial expressions, as he didn't have a face, or understand his body language, since he moved like he was having a seizure.

"Another one," Wolf slurred, and Mr. Game and Watch beeped and placed a fresh mug of beer on the bar's counter. Wolf refused to take any drugs to dull the ache in his jaw, but using alcohol to ease his anger was completely different. He threw his head back and drank the beer down with one long gulp. When empty, he stuck his muzzle into the glass and lapped at any traces of the drink left, the hot breath that escaped out of his nostrils fogging the cool glass.

It wasn't that he had lost that really bothered him. He had lost dog fights to Star Fox and he had lost bounties to other hunters and he had lost fights, on the street and legitimate bouts. It was that everyone seemed to know. How did everyone know? He tried to remember who else had been in the gym as he finished licking the glass clean. Snake on the bench. That was about the only time anyone ever saw him, aside from his matches. Snake, there was no chance he would have told anyone what he saw. The wolf couldn't remember anyone else, so he gave it up.

"Another one," Wolf howled.

"Beep," said Mr. Game and Watch.

"I'll tell you when I've had enough!" Wolf shouted. Mr. Game and Watch leapt backwards as he smashed a fist onto the counter, offering an apologetic beep. "I'm sorry, I'm mad and I'm taking my anger out on you, and it stopped being fun ten minutes ago." He looked down at the glass through blurred vision. "How many have I had?"

Mr. Game and Watch held up a sign, the number nine highlighted in the frame.

"Alright, fine. Give me a virgin strawberry daiquiri."

Whether it was the effect of his intoxication or Mr. Game and Watch was really that skilled at mixing drinks, Wolf wasn't sure, but in the blink of an eye, the space before him on the bar was occupied with a pink, icy drink. Wolf lapped at it, the drink freezing his long tongue. So preoccupied with his drink, he didn't notice as the stool next to him was taken by a vulpine.

"I can understand losing to Samus when she's got that fancy powersuit on," Fox chuckled. "But how the hell do you lose to her when she's in her gym clothes?"

Wolf threw himself at the vulpine, who was briefly surprised by how quick his fellow canine was to anger. Fox fell, Wolf fell on top of him, furiously clawing and punching. A crimson sheen splashed onto Fox's muzzle and gave his tan fur a rusty sheen before he finally managed to roll over and pin Wolf down, and began his own assault.

His drunkenness dulled the pain and allowed Wolf to continue digging his claws into the skin even as he felt bones break under Fox's fists. Somewhere up above, Mr. Game and Watch was beeping furiously for help, which finally came when Captain Falcon wrapped two arms around Fox's chest and hoisted him up, holding him in a tight bear hug. Wolf saw this as the perfect opportunity to do some serious damage. He leapt, claws extended, fangs barred. Something vice like clamped onto his tail. His momentum broken, he smacked into the floor.

"Back, back!" Samus shouted, yanking the snarling wolf away. "You may think they're tame, but beneath those spiffy little flight suits, they are wild animals."

Wolf let out a growling howl that may have been, "Put me down you stupid bitch," but Samus wasn't entirely sure. Regardless, she kept him close.

"You got him, cap?" she asked.

Captain Falcon gave a nod, still working to hold Fox, who seemed just as determined to break free, and just as feral in his movements, as Wolf. She shifted her grip, throwing him up then wrapping her arm around his throat. A moment's pressure and Wolf went limp. As he was now unconscious, Captain Falcon saw no reason to keep a grip on Fox. He let the vulpine go, expecting Fox to leave. In fact, Fox kicked Wolf once in the gut before walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Obviously, thank you for all the reviews. Its always nice to know that people are out there reading. I can't think of anything else to say. Thanks again.**

_Chapter 3_

The match was between Bowser and Peach, and had been going on for the past three minutes, comparatively long, but Bowser was determined to beat the princess, and Peach was a cagey little thing. Not strong, or fast, or even very smart, but she had a cunning to her. And how she shook a finger and blew Bowser a kiss every time she leapt back to avoid the turtle's attack didn't make him fight any more efficiently. He was a brawler, with movements reminiscent of a drunken hippo. Nothing wrong with that, anger had a way of giving you needed strength just when you needed it, but one had to know what to stop seeing red.

Wolf remembered during one of countless dog fights with Fox, he had made a cruel (even by his standards) remark about his rival's father. Needless to say, Fox was thrown into a frenzy like Wolf had never seen. It was easy to outmaneuver the vulpine as he furiously mashed at his controls and gripped the joystick tight; probably broke itwith how erratic he was steering his ship. Wolf liked to think he had taught his rival an important lesson that day. Never, ever let your emotions blind you in the heat of battle. Your heart should exist to pump blood, anything else warrants death.

"_You like to think that, don't you._"

The room could have been called a living room, public territory in the mansion, yet it still surprised Wolf to hear the voice. Few people ever talked to him, aside from a polite shrug as he passed them or a low grunt of recognition of his existence. Perhaps hear was not the proper word. The voice, low and deep, venomous yet soft, and echoed somewhere deep in his brain between his ears. "Do you have to do that?" Wolf snarled.

Mewtwo's steps were slow and casual, with a measure of control and arrogance that Wolf had to respect. It was as if it was a privilege he graced you with his presence. He was an alpha male, smart, powerful. Thin arms were folded over thin chest, bulbous fingers resting on his shoulders and tapping slightly, as if something bothered him. Tails were supposed to be subtle indicators to the owner's mood, but the way that Mewtwo's appendage moved, there was no way to tell. "_You enjoy believing that you are soulless," _he continued. "_Why?"_

Wolf gave a growl, shifting in his seat, trying to refocus on the match. He cursed. Bowser was closing in for the kill when Peach had blindsided him with a frying pan, sending him a few feet back, and he had missed it, only the residual sound of metal vibrating giving a clue to what had transpired. He also had two hundred dollars riding on Bowser, and didn't want to see the turtle take such a blow. Wolf wondered where Mario was, and if he was watching how his delicate princess handled herself.

"_In the other living space with his brother and a few others._"

Wolf gave a growl, louder, more obtrusive. It was impossible to intimidate Mewtwo, but he tried none the less. "I told you not to read my mind."

"_The others have strong mental barriers, or more likely no mind at all. I do try too keep in practice."_

As a rule, Mewtwo never apologized. He just stared forward, gazing endlessly, not even focusing on the match on the television set, but looking past it, as if his powers offered some vision Wolf could not fathom. But a soft attempt at sarcasm made him forget why he was angry. Anyone else and Wolf would have torn him limb from limb, but he liked Mewtwo. A devious grin cross the lupine's features.

"Do you miss it?"

"_A part of me. I do enjoy fighting, it is what I was made for, I suppose. But it's peaceful now. It's calm."_

"You still watching over the rodents little brother?"

Mewtwo gave a stern, almost snarl at the wolf, and his usually purple eyes flashed with a splash of red. Wolf was completely oblivious. Bowser had charged forward, two tons of pissed off turtle dragon thing smashing into the featherweight and sending her smacking into a wall. Blood spurted out of her mouth and Wolf could swear he could hear a distant, distinctly Italian voice scream out "Mamma mia!" Of course that was impossible, but Wolf smiled none the less.

"For what it's worth," Wolf mused, "It would have like to fight alongside you. Kick some hero candy ass. I swear, you're the only one I can talk to." Wolf searched his flight suit's pockets, at last finding a carton of cigarettes and placing one in his extended muzzle. He searched for his lighter, until he noticed the smoldering tip of his cigarette. Psychic powers, he chuckled.

"How's the rodent doing, anyway?"

"_He sleeps a lot. He got banged up pretty bad in the last tournament. Probably for the best he wasn't invited. And with Pikachu so busy, its probably for the best I wasn't invited either."_

Wolf took a pondering puff on his cigarette, blowing smoke out of his snout. "Always next time. Wonder if I'll get the green light or the pink slip. This gig pays a lot better than the usual fair." Another long drawn drag on his cigarette. "Nice they set-up those alumni suites for you guys."

Mewtwo gave a slight, almost none existent nod, before turning and slowly, casually leaving the room.

Pichu was asleep by the time Mewtwo returned to his room, curled up on his bed into a tiny, black and yellow ball. Every so often he would whine and excess discharge would singe the mattress and sheets with black ash. Mewtwo was hesitant to place a hand on the tiny mouse's head. He wasn't afraid of the lashing shocks, but of waking him from slumber. So he moved slow, gentle, his forefinger gently brushing the fur on Pichu's forehead. Focusing, he entered the child's mind.

A nightmare, something Mewtwo knew a thing or two about. Pichu was reliving a fight he had had years ago, with Falco. Pompous bird, Mewtwo thought. He had watched the fight transpire, alone in the shadows of his personal quarters. A beautifully executed butterfly kick had afforded Falco the win and Pichu his first concussion. Sighing, almost smiling, Mewtwo changed the course of the nightmare. Pichu dodged the kick and leapt, tiny claws digging into Falco's chest as he summoned storm clouds above him. A shriek of thunder and flash of lightning, and the bird fried. Mewtwo added a rather comical moment of Falco being reduced to a cooked turkey. All Pichu's friends came forward and cheered for the victor, and the slight whimpers and excessive discharge ceased.

--

Morning were always fun. It was one of three times of day that all the various smashers had to be in one place (the mess hall) at one time (breakfast, the others two times being lunch and dinner, though to be fair lunch was often skipped. Mewtwo, with more free time than most others, attended each meal, if only to make sure that Pichu was well fed. He was a growing boy after all.)

Pichu was indulging in apple slices drizzled in honey when Mario finally came in. Mewtwo's internal clock told him that the plumber was approximately ten minutes off from his 

usual arrival. He didn't need to read minds to know that Mario was furious about something. He completely ignored the breakfast spaghetti, in favor of charging for Bowser, who was occupied with eating a few dozen scrambled eggs, so he didn't have time to brace himself as Mario smashed into him. He was knocked him backwards, out of the chair, bits of egg flinging out of the turtle dragon's massive jaws. He rolled backwards, letting loose a long, furious roar as Mario assumed a fighting stance.

Peach, a sewn gash on her forehead and her left arm in a sling, moved between the two. She pulled a cup of hot tea from somewhere Mewtwo couldn't notice and smiled her usual smile, offering the drink to Mario, then to Bowser. Neither would attack, since both had some sort of bizarre affinity for the princess. In a match, all bets were off, but now neither wanted to be the one to harm Peach any further. But that didn't change the fact that, quite simply, Bowser and Mario hated each other. And eventually, they would decide that that hatred outweighed any fears for Peach's safety.

To Mewtwo's great surprise, it was Mario who delivered the first strike. Charging forward, his desire was to leap over Peach and put a punch into Bowser's snout. But Bowser, seeking self preservation over anyone else's safety, took a long inhale before breathing forth a stream of flame that Mario would land in. Peach was left in the flame's path, and would have been crisped had Sheik not leapt in, taken Peach around the waist, and disappeared into a white puff just as the flames washed forth. Neither Mario nor Bowser seemed to notice Peach's absence.

A white puff of smoke swelled from nothing at Mewtwo's side. He turned his head to see Sheik place Peach down. Sheik, or was it Zelda. Such an interesting thing, magic was. Something, one of the few thing actually, Mewtwo had no understanding of. He understood the science behind Wolf's blaster and reflector shield, and how his own psychic powers worked. But when Zelda changed into her other self, it wasn't just a change of clothing, or an illusion, but something physical. He could stretch out his paw and brush her (or his) skin, and it would feel different. Not that he had ever done that, Link was very protective of his princess and he didn't want the gesture to be interpreted the wrong way, but he could.

"Oh!" Peach muttered, stretching a gloved hand out to stroke Pichu. Pichu purred kindly, enjoying the attention as he munched happily on his apple. Bowser had gotten the upper hand, but a timely assist from Luigi and he escaped without any real harm. Bowser threw himself at the pair, snapping jaws and scaly muscle.

Yes, mornings were never dull.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is weird. I could have sworn i posted this last night, but i actually reposted chapter 3. So i deleted that and i thought i posted this, Chapter 4. Well, here it is again. Hopefully it will work this time.**

_Chapter 4_

It hadn't taken long for the entire mess hall to be engulfed in the chaos. Some of the smashers were true friends. Mario and Luigi, Zelda and Peach, Ike and Meta Knight. Others were acquaintances or friendly rivals: Marth and Ike, Wolf and Samus. But the vast majority of the smashers didn't like each other, whether from past wrong doings or rivalries developed in the course of the tournament. They tolerated each other with plastered smiles, occasionally enjoyed a civil dinner or a day at the park, but mostly bided their time until they were given a match, in which time they were free to beat the living tar out of each other.

At first the brawl had certain lines to it. It had started with Mario vs. Bowser, and Luigi, spurned by brotherhood, had leapt into the fray. And Sonic, not liking a two on one match or simply not liking Mario more than he didn't like Bowser, tackled Luigi to the ground. In his movements (which were reminiscent of a child on a sugar rush), he had knocked into the table that Wolf was using, knocking his breakfast into his lap. Wolf let out a howl and entered the fray, and Fox and Falco joined simply for an excuse to get their claws into Wolf. By now most everyone had joined in. Mewtwo had no interest in petty squabbles, and Pichu was more concerned with his apple slices than anything else. Sheik had taken a position slightly ahead of Peach, a noble sentry prepared to strike any in her path. Peach seemed completely oblivious to the dangers, and had taken a seat, gently sipping her tea with her remaining arm.

"_Do you think we could talk?_" Mewtwo asked.

Sheik snapped her head to attention, sharp eyes focusing on the feline, who immediately regretted asking the question. Sheik gave a puzzled look prompting Mewtwo to continue.

"_I was curious about your usage of magic, and was wondering if you would answer some questions."_

Sheik cocked her head to the door, before wordlessly standing and walking out. Unsure, and slightly nervous, Mewtwo glided after. He lost track of her in the near endless catacombs of the mansion's halls, but remembered where Zelda's room was, and assumed he would find her there. A balled fist knocked on the door, and the door opened to reveal Zelda, a warm smile spread across her face.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Mewtwo was taller than she was, and possibly more powerful with his mastery of shadow and psychic, but she didn't seem afraid, which scared him. He was so used to others cowering, something so out of the ordinary was unnerving. Even Wolf would roll onto his back and display his vulnerable underside when pressed, but Zelda just stood there, strong, firm, resolute, her knight in green tunic not anywhere to be seen.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked, stepping aside and allowing Mewtwo to step in. The room was nicely furnished, not the frizzy pink that one would associate with a princess, how Peach's no doubt looked. Rather it was nicely lit with a few candles on the table, and dozens upon dozens of books lining the walls, littering the floor. One on her bed stand was most likely her current project. Mewtwo was envious of the tomes of knowledge, the infinite histories that where at her fingertips.

Zelda took a seat in a comfortable looking seat, a mixture of a thrown and arm chair, putting one leg over the other and folding her hands into a neat cradle. She gestured to a chair beside her. It seemed less magnificent than hers, but not wanting to be rude, he casually took it, and had to admit it was very comfortable.

"Its pleasant to see you. I worry about you sometimes, and more recently Snake. You never seem to socialize with anyone, and with us so busy with the tournament, I wonder if you ever feel lonely.

"_I don't get lonely_," he whispered.

"Of course not. I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect, or to imply anything. I have seen you talk to your fellow pokemon, and that unsavory Wolf character."

"You wanted to know something about magic?"

"_Yes_," he started. "_How does it work?_"

Zelda thought to herself, lifting a hand. It glowed like fire, save it was an artificial orange rather than the pure color fire should be. "It's rather hard to explain. It does make sense, but it is as if Fox were to explain the _magic_ of his reflector to me. Someone who has studied the science would understand, but someone who hasn't, couldn't. Could you explain the nature of your powers with any degree of ease?"

Actually, Mewtwo couldn't, which surprised him.

"Here," Zelda said, tracing a finger across the spine of several books, at last picking out a particularly old and dusty volume and holding it up. Purple fluff surrounded the book as Mewtwo brought it to him and extended an arm to touch it. He could feel the power contained inside.

"_Thank you,"_ he said.

--

In Wolf opinion, there were far too few brawls. The designated matches were always too clean, one on one, two on two, free-for-alls were always fun, but they didn't have the same appeal as a good old fashioned, anything goes beat-em up.

Wolf's wounded jaw had snapped clean in two after a roundhouse kick from Fox. In turn, Wolf had taken the vulpine's ear. Falco pulled his commander out of the fray after that, blaster drawn and shooting Wolf several times to cover their escape. When Wolf's head cleared, Falco and Fox where gone. Not that he cared, since there were so many others.

He was working on tearing through the armor on Ganondorf's back when King Dedede swung his massive hammer into Wolf's side, sending him spiraling across bar. His weight broke through the thin wood the tables were built with, splintered wood lifting into the air. He took a moment to shake the splinters out of his fur before throwing himself back into the brawl.

"Every goddamn time Peach is in a goddamn match," Samus muttered angrily, sitting on the outskirts of the fight. "Same thing with Zelda. They can win the goddamn match and their men still throw some sort of testosterone driven hissy fit." She shivered, thinking of the fall out of a match between the two princesses.

A blue blurr began circling the fray, as if Sonic just wanted to show off his speed in the cramped confines of the cafeteria. Little show off twit, no wonder Snake didn't like him. Smiling, Samus extended a leg out from under the table. His momentum carried the blue hedgehog through the wall of the cafeteria, out into the hallway and continued spinning through several more walls before finally coming to rest, unconscious, six room away.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Wolf wasn't sure when his left index and middle finger had been broken. Possibly when he collided with the wall, or possibly when Bowser stomped on his hand, or when, in retaliation, he punched Bowser in the snout. Or any of the million other times he'd been stomped, beaten, slashed, stabbed, thrown, shocked, or set on fire. Yes, he mused with a smile, it had been a good morning.

It didn't matter how much you got hurt in a fight, it mattered that the other guy got hurt more. Looking around the infirmary, he wasn't sure he was the least hurt, but he certainly wasn't the most. That privileged belonged to Olimar, who, strangely enough, hadn't even been one of the brawlers. A stray blow had damaged the air recycler on his back and he had nearly suffocated, but his pikimin, seeing what had happened, dragged him to the infirmary, where he was stuffed into a bubble until he could make the necessary repairs to his suit and step outside.

"You're jaw will-a be wired for at least a week. Wahoo!" Mario said, dressed in a spiffy little white coat and black slacks, with one of those things doctors used to hear heartbeats around his neck. But then Mario, dressed in singed overalls and red hat, with a black eye and slash on his check, was in the waiting room. Wolf looked back at the doctor, then the plumber. "Fuck it," he growled through his wired jaw as he left the room. Mario was sitting next to Peach, so he assumed they had made up, if there had been any tensions to begin with.

Pichu, who hadn't been in the fight (Mewtwo had seen to that much before mysteriously disappearing) and was probably here for no other reason than to be here. He was nestled in the Samus' lap, enjoying the affection the bounty hunter was showing him. Wolf always wondered what power small, furry animals with warm tummys and over sized heads had over heartless bitches. Samus worked so hard to present an air of icy maturity, but even her heart melted when confronted with the adorable rodent. He had once taken off all his clothes and presented himself to Samus, but she had only kicked him so hard she broke three ribs. He must not have fallen into the cute furry animal category.

The scheduled matches were canceled for the day, which meant Master Hand had enjoyed the cafeteria brawl enough he wouldn't need any additional violence. For the best, most of the smashers were far too hurt to put up a decent fight.

Wolf hadn't gotten ten feet down the hallway before he heard his name called behind him. Actually, a low voice asked, "Mr. O'Donnell?"

"What is it, elf?" Wolf demanded. He didn't like Link, little prissy hero boy from Hyrule. Talking wasn't easy, but somehow he managed to make the words intelligible without being able to move his mouth too much.

Link didn't lift his head when he talked. If he didn't occasionally peek from under his myrtle cap, he wouldn't have made eye contact at all. "I was just wondering the nature of your relationship with Mewtwo?"

"I'm not a fag," Wolf snorted. "I don't care what you've read on the internet, it's not true."

"No. But has he ever spoken of Princess Zelda?"

"Sometimes. She's about the only one of you pricks who doesn't treat him like a monster."

"What does he say?"

Wolf shrugged. "Usually wonders about her magic, that's all. Asks me about spaceships sometimes."

"Is that all he speaks of?"

"Yes, elf."

"Thank you Mr. O'Donnell," Link said, bowing slightly then turning and walking off.

Link's next wanted to find Samus. He knocked on her door four times, then waited three minutes before shrugging and walking off. He checked the gym next, but it was empty, save Pikachu running furiously on a treadmill.

"Have you seen Ms. Aran?" he asked.

"Pi-kachu."

"No, I haven't checked there. Thank you."

The mouse was right, Link found Samus in the park, lounging on the bench by the fountain. It was somehow strange to see her in such a serene setting, out of armor, not even carrying a pistol or blade. She was wearing a set of light blue short shorts and a shirt that, as far as he could tell, was closer to a bra than a proper covering for a woman.

"Ms. Aran?" he asked.

Samus shrugged slightly, shaking her head and rolling off the bench and onto the grass. She gave a long yawn. She had been sleeping, and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back, cat like. "Hey there Link, what's up?" Samus sat back on the bench, putting her left leg over her right and gesturing to the seat beside her.

"I was wondering if you could help me." Link reached into the pouch strung on his belt. "Will this be enough?"

Samus took the bag and held it, weighing its contents. "Depends on what you need. You want me to kill Falcon? I'll do that for free."

"No. Thank you though. I just want you to procure a strand of the clone's fur. The white that covers its upper torso and legs, or the purple fur on its underbelly or tail will also be satisfactory."

Samus examined her company. "That is a very unique request. May I ask why?"

"I would rather my reasons stay mine, if that's alright."

Samus shrugged. She opened the bag and poured the several gold coins into her hand, counting them up. At last she put four of the coins into her pocket and handed Link the remaining three. "I like you, so I'll give you the discount rate. Any time frame?"  
"As soon as possible. Thank you Ms. Aran"

He looked down at the coins held in his gloved hand as Samus walked off. Three coins. That may be enough.

Snake never left his personal quarters, save to fight or to forge for food, so Link knew not to leave when he knocked on the door and no one answered. He knocked again, fidgeting from foot to foot. "Mr…uh, Snake? May I come in?"

The door opened half a foot and an angry face appeared, glaring at Link. "What do you want kid?"'

"I would like to hire you for something." He extended a gloved hand, slowly, as not to seem as if he was doing anything hostile. "This is all I have for now. I'll have more later if you like."

Snake took the offered coins, before slamming the door shut. Link wondered if perhaps his coins had been stolen, but the door opened and a fist took hold of him by the tunic. He was yanked through the door and thrown against a wall.

"What do you want?" Snake asked, pinning his forearm at Link's throat. He knew better than to struggle or try to escape, so he casually said, "I just want you to keep an eye on Princess Zelda."

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, I just fear for her safety. I can't always be watching her, she would get mad anyway if I did. But I just want her to be safe."

Snake looked down at the coins he held in his hand, lowering Link to the ground. "You dare to insult my work with this meager sum? I infiltrated Shadow Moses."

"What's Shadow Moses?"

Snake lifted him by the collar again, high off the ground. "Who told you about Shadow Moses?"

"You did, just now."

Snake dropped him, taking several steps away. "This will serve as a down payment. How long do you want me to watch the princess?"

"A few days, two at the most. Just look for anything suspicious. Thank you."

Snake gave a snort, cocking his head to the door. Link nodded, understanding, and quickly left.


	6. Chapter 6

**I had wanted to post this three days ago, but there were tidbits that i didn't like about it, so i went over it a few times and finally fixed it up to what it is now. Hope it was worth the wait.**

_Chapter 6_

"Either of you seen the clone?"

Nana and Popo were playing some sort of game, reminiscent of baseball, save they were using large wooden mallets instead of a bat and they didn't seem to be running around the bases after they scored a hit. Samus assumed the little game was nothing more than an excuse to hit things with the oversized hammers they coveted so much, since there were balls of various shapes and sizes scattered around the field, as well as the remains of several porcelain dishes shattered into several billion pieces. Samus herself had to dodge four footballs and a hockey puck just to get as close as she was now. The Eskimos turned to each other, then pointed to the top of a distant hill in unison.

"Thanks kids," Samus smiled.

"No problem," they said in that creepy harmony.

She had felt bad taking four gold coins from Link for what she assumed would be such a simple task. She figured she could just waltz into Mewtwo's personal quarters and take a strand of shedding. She had had a pet during her younger years, and knew how much furry animals could lose in a single day. She had spent an hour a day of her youth vacuuming so that her Old Bird wouldn't get mad. So as she had assumed, when she took the four gold coins, this would be a simple task. Course, she had forgotten that the clone was such a neat freak. His room was spotless, void of a single strand of albino fur. It was creepy in fact, how sterile it was. Thank god he shared his room with Pichu, who made sure there was a comfortable level of filth to give the quarters a nice lived in feel.

So her job had gotten a little more complicated. Now she would have to somehow lull Mewtwo into a false sense of security, snip a bit of his fur, then run away before he reduced her to a pile of ashes. Why couldn't Link have just wanted her to kill Captain Falcon?

"Hey, M," she shouted, climbing to the top of the designated hill. Mewtwo was floating, legs folded neatly cross legged, tip of his tail resting on the ground. A dozen or so rocks were drifting in the air around him in a monotonous orbit. "M?" she asked.

She walked to his front, and noticed his eyes were gently closed, only a slight glow escaping from the crack where the two lids met. She waved a hand over his face, as if somehow that would bring him back to consciousness, but he didn't flinch. Next she snapped her fingers, examining him for any trace of recognition. "M?" she asked one last time, before she took the scissors out of her pocket.

"_What are you doing?" _he asked.

Samus leapt a few feet into the air and hid the scissors behind her back. After a long pause, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"_Meditating._" The rocks fell first, dropping out of the air and hitting the grass with muffled thuds. He extended his legs out from under him, toes finding the ground before resting the upper half of his rear paw down as well. Mewtwo had taken to walking during the early days of the prior tournament. Floating left him with little traction in a melee, and by standing firm, he 

could use his 260 pound bulk to his advantage. "_I had almost achieved enlightenment. What were you doing with the scissors?"_

Samus shrugged. She displayed the scissors to Mewtwo, before closing her hand and removing them from sight. Then she opened her fist, to show the tools were gone. The simple parlor trick served to remove suspicions, since Mewtwo was now more concerned with how the sleight of hand was done rather than what was her devious intention.

"Actually I was wondering if we could spar a little? I have a match with Ness in a few days, I'd like to get used to combating psychic powers. Could you just give me a few pointers?"

"_The nature of our powers are extremely different, but I suppose there is no harm in showing you a few things._" Mewtwo's eyes began to glow, his paws began to flame, dark purple energy swelling around his form, then appearing around Samus, who felt the air solidify and herself be lifted up. "_Lets start with the basics. How do you intend to get out of this?_" he asked.

Samus swung a booted foot into Mewtwo's face, the tip of her toe smashing into his somewhat feline snout. Crimson dripped out and saturated the surrounding pale fur as he stumbled backwards, off balance. "I'm sorry," Samus said, moving to his side. He verbally yelped, stumbling out of her embrace and a few feet away, holding his paws up and ready to counter any attack. He craned his neck at a painful angle, trying to look at his blindside. "What's the matter now?" she asked.

"_Nothing," _he sighed.

"Well, this was a great lesson. Thanks, I feel perfectly confident now."

Mewtwo examined her, confused. "There is more I should show you."

"No, I'm sure I can handle myself no matter what Lucas throws at me."

"I thought it was Ness."

"Of course, Ness. I have to get going now."

Mewtwo shrugged. "_I should be going anyway, I suppose."_

She waited for the pokemon to disappear into a puff of smoke to pull her hand from behind her back and hold the fistful white fur to the light. She placed the strands in a plastic zip lock bag. A wind blew, and she enjoyed the feeling of the warm air on her skin. Placing the bag safely in her pocket, she began the long walk back the mansion.

--

"Have you ever gotten the feeling that someone is watching you?" Zelda said, looking over her shoulder for the umpteenth time.

"All the time," Peach said, parasol resting on her shoulder as she and her fellow princess walked through the beaten path of the forest. "I mean, Bowser wants me for his bride, Mario is far too protective, Falcon is constantly hitting on me. What's a princess to do?"

Zelda looked behind her again, but seeing nothing, resumed her conversation with Peach. "Your arm doing alright?"

Peach traced a finger over the sling. "Its just a minor sprain. To be honest, I think that Bowser was holding back. He broke the momentum of that body slam. I mean, he could have flattened me."

"If you were in any real danger, Master Hand would have zipped in and stopped the match. He wants blood, but if any of us get seriously hurt, he has to wait for us to heal."

"Maybe that's why he keeps Mewtwo and Roy on retainer, spare fighters."

Zelda thought to herself, remembering something. "I'm sorry Peach," she finally said. "This was a wonderful walk, but I have to get going."

"Its alright," Peach smiled, but looking to her side, she noticed that Zelda was already gone, only a residual trace of strong magical energy left behind.

--

Magic was as exact a science as science was. With proper care, execution, and practice, there was little risk involved. Zelda had been told stories that if a teleportation spell went wrong, half of you would end up at your destination, and the other half would end up millions of miles away. She was fairly sure that was simply her teacher trying to scare her, but she let out a sigh of relief when the blinding light faded and she found herself at her destination. Mewtwo had told her about this spot. So deep in the forest, none of the kids would ever hike their way in. And no one with the powers of teleportation would ever bother going in this deep.

"Good morning Mewtwo," she called out, parting the brush and stepping through. Mewtwo turned his head over his shoulder and glared at her with his stern gaze.

"_You're late_."

"And you're bossy, you don't see me complaining about it. Why couldn't we just do this at my room? Or the gym?"

Mewtwo averted his gaze, looking down at the grass.

"Its nothing to be ashamed about. So you don't understand magic. Big deal. I don't understand half of the gadgets Fox carries around. Do you think that Falcon can fathom your psychic powers, of Luc's aura thing."

"_Its not the same._"

Zelda smiled, placing a comforting hand on the clone's shoulder. It was such an alien gesture to him that he instantly lifted a hand, should she prove hostile, but there was something about her touch that kept him at ease. "Have you read the book I gave you?"

Mewtwo nodded, lifting a book from the ground and passing it forward to Zelda. "_I found the writings on the Triforce most interesting. The idea of a balanced heart, of balance in general in fact."_

"Yes, an idea we could all use," Zelda smiled. "Now, since you have a basic understanding, I'll show you a few techniques. I doubt you'll be able to mimic them, I don't sense anything of magic in you, but seeing them should aid with your understanding." She extended a hand and pointed to a plump apple, hanging from a high branch. A crimson sphere emerged from her open palm, and gently glided towards the branch, hitting it with a slight explosion and knocking the fruit off.

"Some people use magic words to aid with the focus. Hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo, or speak the spell backwards. You don't exactly want to lose control of something like this, but I've always found it easier to focus in silence. Something you know about I'm sure."

"_Thank you_," Mewtwo whispered, as the lesson began.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

"On," Link said. "Heat. Work."

Perplexed, the elf opened the door to the microwave, then closed it again, as if that would make the machine obey him. Again, he ordered it on, but it just stared at him, mockingly. He didn't know much about the machine that was giving him so much trouble, save that one must never put tin foil in it. He bitterly remembered when Kirby had forgotten, and the resulting explosion that claimed a sizable portion of the mansion. What had followed had been a fun couple weeks, as three, sometimes four people, were stuffed into one room and expected to coexist. Come to think of it, there had been a lot of unsanctioned fights those weeks too.

"I have the photos," Snake said. Link gave a yelp of surprise, twisting and turning around to face the much taller and much broader human.

"How do you do that?" Link asked.

"I almost lost the princess when she teleported away, but I had planted her with a tracker. She was walking with Peach, then disappeared. I found her in the middle of the woods with the clone. These are the pictures."

Confused, Link looked down at the offered pictures, extended a hand and took them. He took a few minutes to flip through. When he looked back up, the monochrome sneaking suit so often associated with the infiltration expert was replaced with a light blue top surrounded by healthy peach skin. The sudden change in the apparel prompted him to yelp in surprise again.

"Calm down," Samus said. She handed Link a small bag. "The fur you ordered."

"Uh, thank you," he said.

Samus pressed one of the buttons on the microwave's face, and to Link's delight, it purred to life. "When it beeps, take it out, but its going to be hot, so be careful."

"Thank you," he said again. He looked at the timer, seeing the minutes tick away. 2:35. 2:34. When the timer read 1:30, heavy footsteps sounded behind him. He turned to see Yoshi scurrying into the room.

"I'm just curious," Link said, placing the photos on the table then spreading them apart. "What do you see here?"

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur shouted in his usual chipper tone.

"I know. One would think that Mr. Snake would be able to take a photo in focus. But that definitely is the clone and my princess."

"Yoshi?"

"I don't know. I just get worried sometimes."

"Yoshi."

"That's easy for you to say. Do you even have mates?"

"Yoshi."

"I don't see what that has to do with the conversation," he said, taking off his hat and examining it. "Do you really think it makes me look like a girl?"

"Yoshi!"

"I'm not gay."

"Yoshi?"

"That was just once, when I was drunk. You know how poor my tolerance is. I don't see how that proves anything."

"Yoshi."

"If you are going to act this way, I'm just going to leave."

"Yoshi."

"Well fuck you too!" Link shouted, storming angrily out of the kitchen. Yoshi sniffed at the air, noticing the intoxicating aroma of hot chocolate. The microwave rang, and curiously the dinosaur wandered over, opening it and taking the mug out. "Yoshi!" he cursed, when the hot glass burned his hand.

--

Wolf was lounging comfortably on the couch with his arms folded behind his head and his booted rear paws on the arm rest when Samus stepped in, prompting his ears to perk and him to sit up and look to her. "Darlin," he asked. "What brings you to the bad guy's lounge?"

"I've been looking for you actually. Has Link been acting weird lately?"

"He hasn't hit on me in the past week."

"Link isn't gay," she muttered.

Wolf gave an angry snarl, resting his head back and closing his good eye, though she imagined the robotic one was ever vigilant. "Talk to Marth. He and the elf are pretty good friends. He would know better than I would."

"Marth refuses to speak English and I only have a passing knowledge of Japanese."

Wolf waved his paw in her face, annoyed. She had a sudden urge to break his fingers. In fact, she took his hand, but he was quicker, and took a grip on her and yanked her towards him. He swung an open paw and smacked her cheek before letting her go. Shock and a residual sting settling on her as he said, "Luv, I'm not in the mood." He sighed, returning to his comfortable lounge. "Go talk to the Indian, the cop and the construction worker if you want to know about Link."

"He's not gay," Samus repeated. "And that wasn't even clever."

Wolf sighed, growing more and more annoyed. It was kind of like pulling on a lion's tail when he was trying to sleep, eventually she would get bitten, it was just a matter of how many yanks she got first. "Get Mewtwo to translate when you talk to Marth, he knows like thirty two languages. He can probably download fluency into your mind. Can't you do anything yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure it would be good to talk to the clone. Things are kinda weird between the clone and I."

"Did he come onto you?"

"No, he didn't. Can Mewtwo even come onto me? Does he have the right…smash attacks? Or any attacks at all?"

"Well, he's seeing that Mew chick," Wolf offered. "He must have something to smash her with, cause I know her, she won't stay with just anyone."

"How do you know her?"

"That's not important."

Samus took out a pack of cigarettes and placed one in her mouth. She cocked her head, and Wolf took a lighter out of his pocket and threw it, annoyed, at Samus. It was sailing through the air and would have left a red mark on her forehead had she not caught it in the air. She took a few moments to ignite the cigarette. "Link wanted me to get a sample of Mewtwo's fur. I don't think Mewtwo knows, but it's just kinda weird pulling a job on a fellow smasher."

"A strand of fur? Maybe he wants to clone Mewtwo. That would definitely confirm Mewtwo is a male. Or maybe he suspects that his princess and Mewtwo are having an affair after finding a strand of white fur in Zelda's room, so now he wants to run a scan of the strand he found with the strand you gave him to confirm or nullify his suspicions. That would also explain why I saw him going into Snake's room the other day, he probably hired him to follow the princess around and take grainy photos of her with Mewtwo that can easily be interpreted in a way that is completely different than what was actually happening. Course the whole thing is going to end up being one big misunderstanding, but not before he does something stupid that hurts both Mewtwo and the princess. Then he and the princess will have spend a week pissed at each other, but reconcile with a moonlight melody after she beats the crap out of him."

With a somewhat confused look, Samus stared wide eyed and open mouthed at her company. "Where do you come up with this stuff?" she asked.

Wolf shrugged. "I watch a lot of television."

**I liked how I wrote Wolf in this part, and over all this was a very fun chapter to write. Lot of cheesy jokes that i'm not sure how they work, but i wanted playful banter between Samus and Wolf. Wolf seems a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for in the games, so of course he would see the obvious soap opera like plot devices I've been introducing. Hurray for Wolf.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

"Princess!" Link wailed.

"Calm down, everyone is starting to stare," Red said. He looked about the bar, at the various shaped faces that stared back. "He's just had a few too many," the pokemon trainer explained to the masses. Turning back to Link, he whispered, "So help me, lower your voice or I will feed you to Charizard."

"She left me," the elf continued, though managed to reduce his voice to a low whimper. Red had heard the sound before, but coming out of a wounded caterpie.

"She hasn't left you," Red said. "What do you have? Some grainy pictures taken by a paranoid sociopath? A strand of fur that might not even be real? Have you even gotten the results from the doc back yet?"

"She left me for that monster. That clone," Link cried.

"I don't get it, it was non-alcoholic wine," Red said, looking at the bottle.

"She's left me. Its all so clear. She left me."

Red held his head in his hand. "Link, listen to me carefully. Zelda loves you. She would die for you. There is no way she would ever choose anyone over you."

Link took a deep breath, pondering to himself. "You're right," he snapped, slamming his fist onto the table. "That thing stole her. He used his powers and he stole her."

"Why would he steal Zelda. She's not a pokemon. Wouldn't he steal Pikachu? And isn't he in a relationship with Mew?"

"He just brings her into the forest, then he erases her mind. It's so perfect. Why hasn't Ganondorf ever done it!"

"Maybe because it's a stupid plan. Link, just go to your room and sleep alright? Then tomorrow, or the next day, whenever you're sober again, go talk to Zelda. I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for this."  
"It was you," Link screamed, pointing to the pokemon who had just entered the bar.

"That's Lucario," Red sighed.

"I'm going to kill him," Link muttered. He took the sword from his back and held it triumphantly in the air, before charging at the aura pokemon. Of course, because Lucario was an excellent fighter, and Link was drunk, it took the pokemon all of five seconds to disarm him. Perhaps Link realized that Lucario was not in fact his target, because he stopped fighting and instead went back to screaming. "I'm going to find Mewtwo, and I'm going to kill him. I'm going to beat him to a pulp. I'll kill him."

"DK, a little help?"

The great ape stumbled over, dodging between the clumsy swings of the sword, and finally removing the weapon from Link's soft grip. Throwing the elf roughly over one shoulder, he began to walk out. "I'm going to kill him," Link screamed. "I swear, I'll kill him. I'm not joking. I'm going to kill Mewtwo."

--

No one paid much attention to Link's inebriated rant. Everyone was simply accustomed to the occasional death threat, and the novelty that Link was the one who was threatening quickly wore off. With the exception of Red, no one knew the motivation behind his anger, so no one believed he would act on his drunken impulse.

Mewtwo paid even less attention to Link than the average gossipy smasher, so he was fairly ignorant the following night. He was more concerned with the simulator. It was a popular 

training machine, so Mewtwo took every opportunity he could to stake claim and spend a few moments of his time in it. The simulation room itself was fairly small, consisting of one bottom platform, and three smaller platforms suspended almost magically in the air at various heights. His opponents would be crudely crafted humanoid androids. They had been dubbed wireframes by Ness, and somehow the name had stuck, despite its repulsive lack of creativity.

He set the android's aggressiveness at a low state for his warm up. They would mostly just wonder around, occasionally kick at him after he attacked but even then would lose interest and resume their aimless wondering. He set their total number for five, and laced his fingers and stretched his arms over his head before stepping through the portal.

The match started with three of the wireframes, each landing gracefully on one of the floating platforms. Mewtwo cracked his knuckles and neck, before calmly cupping his hands as he began to focus, purple shadows swelling. One of the wireframes landed behind him and kicked him at the base of the spine, just where his tail met his back. He stumbled off balance, into a punch from a second wireframe that cleanly broke his snout. His mind reeled in confusion as the first wire frame cupped his hands together and smashed into him like a wrecking ball. The second broke a knee into the center of his ribs.

Something was wrong, but his body quickly adjusted to the new hostility and danger he was confronted with. Mewtwo leapt up to avoid the smashing fists of a wireframe and his two assailants collided. The third, who had stayed in his high perch, cracked a foot into his skull, sending him spiraling back to the ground, landing with a painful crash.

Furious, he spread his arms wide and released a sudden burst of energy that sent his opponents far away enough he could catch his breath. Everything hurt. Glass cut through him with each breath. Already he could hear the furious footsteps of wireframes, approaching.

He placed both fists into the nearest wireframe's chest and released a sudden burst that sent the android flying off the platform. Sensing another behind him, he turned and focused all his powers on compressing its mechanical limbs to its side. It fought like an animal, punching and kicking against his hold, struggling with every ounce of fight it had, so he just squeezed tighter until joints began to split and wires could be noticed protruding its sides. He threw the wireframe forward, and released several shadow balls into its chest. Four blasts met it without resistance, but by the fifth, it had braced itself and lifted its arms to guard. Then the third took Mewtwo by the tail and yanked him off balance.

The wireframe's sole objective was to harm its foe, and to harm a foe, it needed a grip. For this reason, it would not let go of him under any circumstances. Even as Mewtwo's hands glowed and he pulled the wireframe towards him, it couldn't fathom the idea of letting go. Any intelligent creature would see Mewtwo's intent, but the cold machine logic only knew that it was hurting its foe. And hurting him it was. Its grip was like a vice and had almost immediately broken the bones and torn the muscles in the tip of his tail, but he gritted his teeth until he could reach out and place an open palm onto wireframe's chest. The explosion sapped a great deal of his energies, but the android's torso exploded in a shower of wire and armored covering.

A wireframe tackled him to the ground, using its girth to pin him as it began punching blow after blow into chest and face, whatever aspect of his anatomy he wasn't guarding. Each blow broke something, and he couldn't focus enough to summon his kinesis to throw the foe away. Rather, his tail wrapped around the wireframe's chest and yanked it back. He sat up, right fist engulfed in the purple flame, and smashed his knuckles through the wireframe's blank face. Armor yielded as he punched it again. Wires sparked and singed the fur on his paw and perhaps he broke his hand but he was far from feeling such trivial things.

Mewtwo threw the android he was working on into the one charging at him, and both tumbled backwards. The clone leapt forward, tackling them both, psychic powers keeping his momentum as he struggled to push them off the stage's edge. He fell with them down into the screaming oblivion.

Mewtwo blinked, disappearing into nothingness and materializing on the stage's ledge. The last remaining wireframe took him by the shoulders and brought a knee into Mewtwo's chest. Something cracked deep inside. But he was far beyond feeling pain. Far beyond feeling anything. Even when the wireframe took Mewtwo's left arm and held it straight, before snapping a fist into his elbow, even as the retching pop accompanied the snapping of the joint, he didn't feel it. In fact, such intimacy gave Mewtwo the opportunity he needed. Darkness engulfed his hand, and he drove it through the wireframe's chest. He took hold of any wires within reach and yanked them out before he put his fist through the wireframes head.

That was five, Mewtwo counted, yanking the android's brain out of the armor, sharp bits scraping at his arm and adding to the hundreds of lacerations that sprinkled through his fur. He nearly collapsed, only his powerful mind taking him and holding him up. Four loud thumps sounded above him, and he looked up as four new wireframes leapt down to the bottom platform, surrounding him.

--

Pit glided down the hallway towards his bedroom, eager for a long nights sleep. Tomorrow's matches had been posted and Pit would be going up against Wario, so he would have to be prepared to counter the unorthodox style as well as every dirty trick that could be thrown at him. They had had something of a prematch hot dog eating contest. Wario had won with relative ease and Pit had a sickening bloated feeling he wanted to sleep off.

Just by chance along the way, he passed the simulator, and by the blinking green light above the door, he knew that someone was inside. Knowledge was power, and seeing a possible future opponent in action was not an opportunity that should be passed. Perhaps he could spy a weakness, or learn what attacks to stay away from at all costs. He casually opened the door, peaking inside at the distant battlefield.

"By Palutena," he muttered.

He could barely make out the slumped and lifeless pale shape through the dozens of wireframes that were swarming around it. Pit smashed a fist against the control, shutting the simulator down. The wireframes froze in their position; one had lifted a foot to bring it down on the pale shape's skull and was presently balancing in an awkward way on one leg. After a moment, gravity took its toll, and he fell over onto his side, still remaining motionless. "By Palutena," he said again. There were at least twenty of them, shoved in shoulder to shoulder. He struggled to shove his way through them to reach the center of the stage.

"Mewtwo?" Pit said, shaking the unconscious pokemon furiously. "By Palutena."

The clone muttered something incoherent. He was so cold. Mewtwo wasn't supposed to be cold. Warm fur covered his body. But Pit shivered as he touched him. But he had a pulse, however faint it may be.

"Thank Palutena, you're alive. Mewtwo, stay with me."

A painful whine. The clone's head fell back.

"Damn it," Pit screamed, furiously shaking Mewtwo. The fact that shaking him may have caused greater damage to the withered body did not occur to the angel. "I just have to go get the doctor. I'll be right back. I just have to go get the doctor." He placed Mewtwo down gently 

before taking a few steps back. "I just have to get the doctor," he said again, turning and gliding out.

**Fight scenes are always hard to write. You have to make sure they are brief enough that they aren't boring, descriptive enough that the reader can almost see them, and varied enough that they aren't repetitive. And I wanted this one to be good as a tribute to Mewtwo. Because I love Mewtwo. I think it started good. The wireframes get a lot of cheap shots off, and that sets the stage for Mewtwo really having to work for his survival. He can't float off and bombard the stage with shadow balls. He can't just hold all them at bay with his powers. Lore wise, he's extremely powerful and he can be powerful when played by an expert in Meele.**

**I figure his powers are reliant on him maintaining focus. The wireframes know this, and they keep him off balance, and they are just vicious in their attack. As Peach mentioned, most of the smashers don't want to seriously hurt each other, but the wireframes just want blood. And within the first paragraph, Mewtwo is suffering from fractures, a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken nose. If he was fighting Snake or Samus they would want to win, they may hurt him as badly, but they would give him a chance to yield. The wireframes don't give him any mercy.**

**The first draft of the fight scene was much heavier on Mewtwo chucking shadow balls. I like that I changed it to him augmenting his physical attacks with his powers. For one, that shows him evolving from the second game. Instead of whacking the enemy with his tail, he's adopted much more physical style with punches, tackles, and that cool thing where he puts his palm on your chest and blows a hole through you.**

**I think it's pretty clear that Mewtwo is a kind of a father figure to the pokemon, most of whom I don't think really know their parents. It's very clear with Pichu, and it'll be clearer with the others in later chapters. I was originally going to have Mewtwo involved in a rivalry with Lucario, but that's just been so played out, so instead Mewtwo is more a mentor. Zefri123's story: "Meele to brawl: the characters left behind" did a great characterization of Mewtwo as very calm and accepting.**

**Anyway, I had the idea that Lucario is tutoring Mewtwo in hand to hand fighting, since Mewtwo wants to learn everything and he recognized his lack of close quarter combat skills as a weakness. I was trying to think where I could put in a scene of Mewtwo and Lucario practicing katas together, maybe doing Tai Chi or something. That would also explain Mewtwo's new style of fighting. He **_**was**_** apprenticed to Lucario, is now apprenticed to Zelda, and maybe a little later would go up to Meta Knight or Marth and ask to learn swordsmanship techniques. But I could never really include that into the text, maybe in a later chapter.**

**Lastly, I posted a Mewtwo story over on the pokemon page about a week ago, under the title "Forget Me Not". And before anyone asks, yes, this is a shameless ploy to get reviews. I should warn, it's in a much different vain than this, but if you are a big Mewtwo fan, I would say check it out.**

**Besides, Mewtwo could pwn Lucario any day of the week.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This has been a very busy…well, month. I'm sorry I haven't been getting around to responding to the reviews that you readers have been gracious enough to leave me. I'll try to be stay more on top of answering my fans.**

_Chapter 9_

"Mew, mew, meeew-ew," Mew purred.

Dr. Mario rubbed his forehead as he turned to Pichu. "Alrighty, what did she say?"

"Pi, Pichu."

Sighing, the doctor turned to Samus. "What did she say?"

"She said, 'good evening doctor, is Mewtwo alright'?"

"Alrighta, tell her that Mewtwo is stable, we just thought it best to call you, you being his, uh…closest of kin, kind of."

"He's fine," Samus said to Pichu.

"Pi!" Pichu said to Mew, who squealed with delight. She sped past Dr. Mario and into the room, Pichu following closely behind.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Samus assured.

In the time it took her to enter the room, Mew had already snuggled close to Mewtwo, resting at the base of his ribs, though upon careful observation one would notice she was floating, as not to harm him. Welts boiled up from the thin coating of fur as ugly red blotches on his white coat. His arm was broke, in a cast, and held elevated with a sling, as was his opposing leg. When she'd first seen him, carried into the infirmary, his entire coat was soaked with blood, but his fur must have been cleaned for, while still dirty, it was at the least no longer crimson. Most of his body was bandaged to cover the numerous scars and scraps. A few tubes were sticking out of his arms and chest, checking his blood pressure, heart beat, and injecting him with a steady stream of pain killers. A tube was protruding from his snout and connected to a respirator.

"Why don't you speak regular?" Samus asked Mew. "I know you can."

"_I don't like him, that doctor guy_," Mew purred, lifting her head. "_Now what happened?"_

"The simulator malfunctioned. The bots were set on 'cruel' mode instead of their basic level. You only go into the simulator, on any level, with a buddy. And you only go into a cruel melee with at least three partners and a fourth to shut the system down in case you get overwhelmed. If Pit hadn't stumbled upon him, well, it would have been much worse."

"_What is this Pichu has been telling me about Link threatening to kill 'Two?"_

"There are so many ways to interpret what he said."

"_He said, 'I'm going to kill Mewtwo'_."

"Link was just joking."

"_Link said, 'It's not a joke, I'm going to kill Mewtwo'_."

Samus sighed, glaring angrily at Pichu, who was sitting comfortably on the chair beside Mewtwo's bed. He searched for a comfortable spot, then settled down and lowered his oversized head, falling into sleep.

"Link is extremely protective of Zelda, and I think a small part of him is afraid she'll leave one day. The front part of his brain loves her, and knows that she loves him, but the back has that hint of doubt. He feels this urge to keep her safe to prove to her that he loves her. He doesn't believe he deserves Zelda."

"_Do you think he could have broken the simulator?"_

"Not a chance," Samus said. "Link is beyond an idiot when it comes to anything electronic."

_"How hard is it to malfunction something?_" Mew asked, gliding forward and floating in front of Samus' face.

"Any tampering would have resulted in the simulator shutting down, unless you are smart enough to get past the firewalls and fail safes. Trust me, they aren't easy to crack."

"Trust you?" Mew muttered silently."

"Only ones that have a chance of getting through them would be me, Snake, R.O.B., maybe Olimar; I don't know how good he is with computers. I swear it wasn't me, read my thoughts if you don't believe me. If Snake wanted to kill Mewtwo, he wouldn't trust a machine to do it, he would have just done it himself. Probably with several pounds of C4. R.O.B. likes Mewtwo, and I doubt Olimar has it in hm. Foul play doesn't make sense anyway. Mewtwo isn't part of the tournament, it's not like someone would want to remove him so they have a better chance of winning. It was just a glitch in the system."

"_So 'Two is lying here, breathing through a respirator, because of a glitch in the system?_"

"Random things happen, that's what people forget. Not everything is part of some diabolical plan. Not everything is part of some bigger thing. Some things just happen. I know Link, he would never, ever do this to anyone. God, he can't even bring himself to finish off Ganandorf. He wouldn't hurt Mewtwo."

"_Would you? You're hiding something from me_," Mew noted, floating closer. "_I can tear it out of your mind and leave you a vegetable, or you can tell me_. What's it going to be?"

Seeing as her mate was lying half dead a few feet away, Samus had absolutely no doubts that Mew would make good on her threats if it meant getting closer to uncovering the truth. "Link asked me to retrieve a sample of Mewtwo's fur."  
"_When would that seem like a good idea?"_ Mew asked.

"I don't know, it seemed like an innocent enough thing to do."

"_Leave_," Mew hissed.

"I'm sorry."

"_Leave_," Mew shrieked, a painful echo bouncing inside Samus' head, and reducing her to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Samus offered, stumbling back.

"_So its entirely possible that Mewtwo is lying here, half dead, because of something that seemed innocent?"_

"I'm sorry."

"_Leave_," Mew said.

When the human had left and the door was shut behind her, Mew settled down on Mewtwo's abdomen, carefully testing the bone before she put her full, petite weight down. His heart beat was regular, which was good. She could tell that even without the rhythmic beeping of the machine to her right. She stayed like that all night.

--

"How could I be so stupid?" Link asked, looking at the empty shot glass.

Samus took the seat beside him at the bar, lifting a finger to Mr. Game and Watch, who immediately put a fuzzy navel down before her. "We were all stupid. You would think after five years of knowing him, we would have learned to trust him a little better. Well, I wouldn't, but you should. You're one of the good ones. I'm the paranoid bitch."

"I should have asked him, I should have asked my princess."

"She kicked you out?"

Link nodded slightly. "I think. She screamed a lot, then she started throwing things. If she actually said get out, I'm not sure. Master Hand even set up a match between us, for next week."

"That should be interesting. I'm betting on Zelda, I hope that's alright."

"How is Mewtwo?"

"Broken arm and leg is the worst of it. Couple fractures, couple breaks, a concussion. Doc says he's stable. I mean, he's the world's strongest pokemon. He'll be fine."

"It wasn't me. I would never do that to him. It was just an accident. I mean, I didn't cause the accident. It was just an accident"

"We all know."

"No," Link said, slamming the glass down and breaking it ont eh bar. "Everyone's looking at me different. The pokemon especially. I think Lucario is going to kill me. I wish I could see Mewtwo, I want to apologize for my suspicions, but the pokemon have set up a barricade around him."

Samus ordered another fuzzy navel. "Something bad is going to happen and this whole thing will blow over," she assured. "Lucas is going to walk in on Peach coming out of the shower again or something, and everyone will just forget."

--

"Just think," Red said, staring at the unconscious Mewtwo. "One of the world's strongest pokemon served on a silver platter before me." Just for fun he took a pokeball off his belt and began playing with it between his fingers. "Capturing that, that Mewtwo, a one of a kind monster. What that would do."

Mew floated in the air, just above Mewtwo. A pink sphere surrounded her, the air cackled with a residual trace of strong psychic energy. The rhythmic whooshing of the respirator filled the room as Red stared into Mew's eyes. Mew didn't blink.

"There a problem here?" Wolf asked, popping his head through the door.

"No," Red said, putting his pokeball back on his belt. "I was just leaving."

Wolf stepped into the room, noticing that Pichu was sitting in the chair at Mewtwo's bed. He picked the mouse up, sat down, and placed his company in his lap, petting him gently with a gloved hand. "Do you want to get some sleep or anything?" Wolf took his blaster out and twirled it on a finger of his free hand. Quite a feat, considering how the bayonet ruined any idea of balance. "I'll keep the kiddies away."

Mew floated upside down, staring at Mewtwo. "_No_," she purred. "_But I've been here for three days now. Have you got an energy bar or something? I'm starving._"

Wolf rummaged through the various pockets of his flight suit, at last unearthing a protein bar that he usually ate during prolonged flights in his Wolfen.

**I'm not sure how I feel about that bit with Red at the very end. I just don't get it that the Pokemon Trainer is chilling with Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Lucario and he makes no effort to catch them. I don't really like the dialogue, but I couldn't think of any way to fix it.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

"So what do you think happened?" Nana asked.

"For the last time," Lucas snapped. "I don't know. No one is saying anything, and Sensei never taught me to read minds."

"But do you think he's alright?" Popo said with a slow, sad voice. It was odd to hear such a whimper coming out of the usually chipper Eskimo. With how moody the blonde youth had been lately, he always kept himself between his two friends, a constant buffer between Nana and Lucas.

"Shut up," Lucas shouted. "Sensei is strong, he's the strongest there is. He's going to get better, and he's going to kill the bastards that hurt him." Lucas took several heavy steps forward, which managed to ease his temper however slightly. "Aren't you hot in those?" he asked.

Nana and Popo looked down at their parkas in their usual creepy unison. "Not really," the one in purple said. "Its weird, we don't even get tired carrying these gigantic mallets around. They have to weigh as much as we do."

"Its just everyone has been acting weird," Nana continued. "You don't think someone did something, do you?"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up," Lucas snapped.

"Don't talk to her like that," Popo shouted, shoving his fellow youth. Not to be trifled with, Lucas pushed Popo right back. Only he didn't know his own strength, and the Eskimo boy toppled over. He stumbled to his feet and tackled Lucas, but Lucas pushed him back. Nana screamed, trying to pull the blonde youth away, but Lucas shoved her back and continued slapping open hands across Popo's face. Thankfully, he didn't utilize any of his powers, so no serious harm was inflicted save a bloodied nose and pink skin.

"Stop, both of you." Nana wasn't sure where Meta Knight came from, but she was sure thankful he was here. He managed to pull Popo and Lucas away, then keep them both back, standing between them and holding them at arm's length. "Friends do not fight, and you two are friends, so stop fighting, or you will fight me."

"Sorry Mr. Knight," they said in unison.

"Now what is this about?" he asked.

"Its just," Nana started. "How come children have to tell adults everything, but adults don't have to tell children anything? We all know something is really bad. Princess Zelda is mad at Link. Peach won't stop baking. R.O.B. hasn't stopped cleaning the floors for three days. Mr. Kong won't come down from his tree house. Something bad happened, and no one wants to talk about it."

"Calm yourself, child."

"What happened to Sensei?" Lucas demanded.

"Mewtwo?" Meta Knight asked. "He was harmed in an accident. That is all."  
"What kind of accident?" Lucas asked.

"A bad accident."

"Why is everyone blaming Link?" Lucas continued.

"Link did something stupid, as adults often do. But they are wrong to blame him. Link has a pure heart. He would never have harmed Mewtwo?"

Lucas and Popo exchanged nervous glances.

"Come along children, I will take you back to the mansion. Mewtwo's room is not locked. You can visit him if you like."

"No," Lucas said quickly. "I don't want to see him."

Meta Knight nodded. "I understand child, come along."

Lucas walked first, with Meta Knight only slightly behind him. Nana helped Popo up, and he took a few moments to dust off his parka and wipe his bloodied nose with a mitted hand.

"What do you think Mr. Knight looks like under all that armor?" Nana whispered.

"Like Kirby, only blue," Popo explained.

"No way."

"Its true, I walked in on him once in the bathroom. I thought it was Kirby, and he had just taken a really cold shower. But then he spoke with that accent and I knew it was Mr. Knight."

"Children," Meta Knight said.

"Then he said if I ever told anyone, he put me up against Giga Bowser," Popo whimpered.

--

Curled into a fetal position, floating slightly above the mattresses' soft embrace, covers still caught on the friction of his fur, Mewtwo woke. With consciousness came the pain that had been kept at bay by the veil of dream. His unconscious concentration broken, he fell out of the air and crashed onto the mattress. His two hundred and sixty pound girth smashed through the mattress, the metal bed frame whining and hissing as it collapsed.

"Owe," he muttered, trying to push himself up with his left arm, but a sharp pain surged up the limb and he collapsed.

"I broke my arm once," said Wolf, who sitting a few feet away, casually enjoying the scene. "Your mind thinks your arm is working, so you'll keep trying to use it to right yourself, and to reach for stuff, and to punch people."

Mewtwo's vision was blurred, but somehow he managed to make out the grey lupine, and more importantly, the impish, yellow and black mouse that was sleeping in his lap.

"_How long have I been out?"_ he asked. "_And did anything probe me in that time?"_

"Well, Mew has been watching over you like a tiny, super powerful, super pissed off kitten, so I think you're fine in the probing area, unless she was the one doing it."

"_Where is she?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"She's been here for the past week. I finally convinced her to go take a nap. I gave her my room. Course, seeing as you and she share a common psychic link, there is a good chance she will be busting through the door any second now."

The door to the room exploded forward, the frame imploding, shards of splinters dropping into the air, a huge chunk of the wood smashing into the farthest wall. "_Mewtwo!_" Mew screamed, careening into her larger counterpart, the force knocking him out of the air and onto his back. He let out another scream of pain, prompting Mew to slither away from him. By now, Pichu had woken up, and seeing Mewtwo awake, leapt upon him, again causing a surge of pain to rupture through his withered body.

Mew took Pichu around the waist and pulled him away, allowing Mewtwo to slowly, painfully, sit up. Mew's eyes glowed she gathered the broken and bent pieces of the bed frame and reassembled them. Last, she lifted Mewtwo off the ground and placed him on the bed.

"_Wolf, do you think you could leave us alone, I would like to talk to Mew,_" Mewtwo asked. Mew handed Pichu to him. Wolf held the electric mouse at arm's length, examining him. He snorted his annoyance before walking out, Pichu held over his shoulder. Pichu waved goodbye as he was carried out.

"_Did you have a nice sleep?_" Mew asked, floating at his side, big blue eyes staring gently.

"_No,"_ he growled. Mewtwo lifted a glowing hand to his forehead, easing his head back.

"_You had the dream again?" _she sighed. "_The one about Amber? Forgetting something doesn't change that it happened, and you can't remove it completely, that's why it keep coming back._"

"_What keeps coming back?_" he asked. "_I can't remember what we were talking about?_"

"_Nothing,"_ Mew purred, laying down on his abdomen. It was slightly painful, ribs must have been broken, but Mewtwo swallowed his pain and moved his arm to stroke Mew's head. He had slept enough for a lifetime, and was content to stay there, with Mew close.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

"This is pathetic," Wolf snorted, popping open another beer and slurping it down. Fox was lounging lazily on the opposing sofa, and both were watching the television display a vicious beating. "Why doesn't he do something, anything?" Wolf demanded.

"He's fighting the woman he loves," Fox explained. "He figures if he takes the beating, she'll see the depths of his love and forgive him."

Fox and Wolf exchanged amused glances, before both giving a hearty laugh. "How many fingers did Krystal break?" the wolf asked.

"Three, if the thumb is considered a finger."

Wolf finished his beer, threw it over his shoulder and belched loudly. He took out two more cans from the cooler at his feet, keeping one for himself and throwing one to Fox. "I think I may have a problem," the vulpine said. He didn't catch the can, and had to lean forward to take it off the ground. "I think I may be an alcoholic."

"You're not an alcoholic, you haven't earned it," Wolf snapped. "You shouldn't even be drunk you little pansy. I've had three cans for every one of yours, and I barely have a buzz."

"But you have better tolerance than Bowser."

"Makes sense, I've been training since I was a pup."

"Fight me," Zelda screamed, as her magic formed itself into a graceful whip. Link backed away, holding his shield up, bracing himself every time the cackling thrash vibrated through his bones. "Fight me," she screamed again. It must have been painful. He was cringing with every snap. His arms must have felt like jelly.

A stiff hit, the whip winding around the guard's side and slapping across Link's cheek, and the shield tumbled out of Link's grasp. He brandished his sword, but continued to retreat, only striking to counter one of his princess' attacks, and not pressing any openings she gave him.

"This is just sad," Wolf whined. "I wanted a grudge match. 100 percent violence. Instead we have a weird dominant and submissive thing. All the princess needs is a leather bondage outfit. Change into Sheik already."

In a high pitched voice that was meant to parody Zelda or Link, Fox wasn't sure, Wolf said, " 'I am a strong, independent Hyrulian woman. I do not need you to protect me from the grotesque, yet strangely attractive cat clone." Each blast of magic that Zelda summoned was accompanied by some sort of commentary. "This is for Samus taking my spot as the first female ass kicker. This is for leaving me out of the first tournament." As Zelda lifted both hands and released a blast of magic that sent Link tumbling and rolling across the length of the stage, Wolf hopped onto his feet and shouted in the squealing tone, "I am woman hear me roar."

"Victor: Zelda," the television boomed, before going black. With a certain degree of canine finesse, Wolf lifted his bare foot to his chin and scratched at an itch. "Pussy," Wolf muttered, before rolling onto his feet and starting to leave.

"Yep, a loss like that is almost as embarrassing as a loss to Samus in a sparring match."

XXX

"_Sorry 'Two, but I couldn't find any Beethoven_," Mew said as she floated into the room, tiny arms filled with CDs. "_I did find a few things that you may like though. I think you'll enjoy this. Its called, 'Clubbed to Death'."_

_"Anything is preferable to this," _Mewtwo said, eyes focused on the television screen, and the goofy, Benny Hill like character that was the star of the present show. _"How do people _

_derive humor from a ridiculous situation, succeeded by the character repeating the line, 'I'd buy that for a dollar!'"_

"_It's human entertainment. Even I don't understand it half the time," _Mew purred. "_I just know its funny._"

"I'd buy that for a dollar!" the television character exclaimed, and Mew gave a low giggle, rolling onto her back. Mewtwo focused on the television, and after a moment the screen imploded, shards of glass sparking inwards. Continuing to chuckle, Mew floated over to the CD player, just as the door to the room broke inward, and Wolf and Fox spilled in. Fox had his jaws clamped tightly on Wolf's left arm, and seemed heedless of the fact that Wolf was continuingly slamming clenched fist across his cheek.

Fox finally lost his grip when Wolf swung him into a wall. He took the vulpine by the shoulder and, holding him in a tight clinch, began bringing his knee into Fox's ribs. Fox picked him up in a bear hug, and charged out of the room and back into the hallway.

Mewtwo sighed, annoyed. "Now I need _another_ new door."

XXX

A little less than a foot separated Wolf or Fox from Samus' height, but because they were slouched and she was standing very straight, the difference seemed much more apparent. She was yelling, though Wolf had stopped listening by now. He had zoned out, in much the same way he did when being lectured by one of the drill sergeants in his army days. She was like a child on a sugar rush. It was easier to allow her to tire herself out than attempt to stop her. He would have left, but she was still holding the rolled up newspaper and his snout was still sore, so he just zoned out and waited for her to stop.

"Can't you two little mutts keep your alpha male urges in check for two fucking days?" she screamed. The fact that they had been fighting didn't bother her so much as the fact that their fight had spilled into her bedroom when she was changing into her nightgown. They wouldn't have even noticed her had she not screamed, in which time they paused their fight long enough to gaze at Samus pulling bed sheets on. She was so mad she still hadn't gotten dressed, but the sheets were tied tight enough that they would not slip off, no matter how much she screamed and waved her arms like an enraged chicken. Not for the first time, Wolf wondered where she had gotten the newspaper, especially after she struck him yet again.

"Pay attention," she screamed.

Wolf fixed his slouched posture, but in fact his good eye was gazing down the hallway, looking for someone to pass the heat to. Such an opportunity came when he saw Captain Falcon.

"Hey babe," he said, moving down the hallway with his typical arrogant waltz. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"These two animals," Samus started. "They…they…"

"We saw her in her 'absolute zero suit'," Wolf chuckled. Despite the smack across his nose, it was worth it.

"You monsters," the captain shouted, winding his fist back. He moved to punch Wolf, but Samus took him by the wrist and easily flipped him onto the ground.

"I can handle this," she screeched. When she turned back to the wall, Wolf and Fox were gone. Her screams of anger could be heard through the mansion.

Samus, now donning her powersuit, arm cannon held at the ready, burst through the kitchen door like a predatory animal, eyes darting from side to side, but all she could see was Peach, who was standing over a hot stove, and Zelda, who was sitting at the counter. Snarling angrily, Samus turned and stormed out. Peach bent at the hip and opened the draw near her feet, peeking in at the wolf who was crammed into the narrow space in an uncomfortable position. That he had managed to squeeze himself in was an accomplishment in and of itself, but what was truly amazing was how long he had been hiding.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," Wolf said.

"She's gone now."

Peach took a step back to allow Wolf to crawl out of the compartment. "I'm not scared of her," he explained.

"Of course not," Peach smiled in her motherly way, before turning back to the boiling pot. She stirred her concoction, before tasting a sample with the wooden spoon.

"Pasta sauce is done," she said happily. Opening the oven, she stroked the sizzling barbeque ribs with a finger, lifted it to her mouth and tasted it. "Ribs too. That takes care of Bowser, Mario, and Luigi. I can make the banana custard and eggplant parm, then all I'll have to do is cook the steaks. You like yours rare?" she asked.

Wolf nodded awkwardly, still looking at the door as if Samus could burst in at any moment, which she could, to be sure. He finally started to leave, peeking his head out of the threshold before taking his first steps into the hallway. An armored fist took hold of his collar, and he was yanked away before he had time to howl.

"Link want anything special?" Peach asked, completely unfazed by the abduction she had just witnessed.

"I don't know," Zelda muttered.

"You're still not talking to him?"

Zelda nodded.

"How long do you plan to stay mad at him?"

"Mewtwo could have been killed," Zelda said.

"Link didn't do that."

The Hyrulean princess cupped her head in her hands.

"He's a good man, just a bit naïve, and stupid, and jealous. But he is a good man. Like Mario. A hero's heart is always in the right place, their brain just isn't always connected to it."

"Mewtwo could have died," she said again.

"It was just a malfunction in the system. Link didn't do anything. Think about it, Link isn't a subtle person. If he wanted to kill Mewtwo, he would have chased after him with a sword."

Peach thought to herself. "He thought that Mewtwo was hypnotizing you. Why doesn't Mewtwo hypnotize anyone anyway?"

"He considers it impolite. Say what you like about him, but he's always a perfect gentlemen. He's always so nice. So respectful." Zelda stood up.

"Where are you going?" Peach asked.

"I'm going to bed."


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

It rained the next day, and as was usually the case when it thundered, Mewtwo found himself with a tiny pink fur ball curled up close. He had yet to return the embrace, and had only gone as far as stroking the back of Mew's head briefly.

"_I swear, you're one of the strongest pokemon in the world_," Mewtwo muttered, taking her around the ribs and forcing her back to arm's length. "_It's possible you are of a higher power level than me, and you're afraid of a little thunder? The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lighting produces a rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within the bolt. This expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, producing a sharp rumble that is often referred to as thunder_."

"_That doesn't help_," Mew muttered.

"_I just cannot believe you are afraid of it. It cannot hurt you_."

"_Pikachu used Thunder and nearly fried you last tournament."  
"That's something different_," he sighed.

Mew floated back, eyes widening in anger. "_Well excuse me. We can't all be stone cold captains of awesomeness super cats like you!_"

A sudden roar of thunder prompted Mew to crashed forward, with so much force Mewtwo was afraid any healing his ribs had done the past few days would be undone. She tried to wrap her stubby arms around him, but couldn't quite reach. Sighing, he looked around the room, making sure that no one was there (such a show of affection would do nothing for his reputation), before holding her tight as another rumble filled the room. Truth be told, he didn't like the sound of thunder either.

Playfully, Mew floated upside down, a few inches from Mewtwo's head. The tip of her tail stroked at his brow. "_How are you feeling?_" she purred.

"_My arm is broken, my ribs hurt, and there is an annoying pink puffball floating around me._"

"_Don't take that tone with me young man. If you think you're too big to put over my knee, you are sadly mistaken_."

"_You're not my real mother,"_ Mewtwo mocked.

Mew purred softly. "_Why 'Two, I do believe that was a joke. You should do that more often._"

Mewtwo lifted his working arm, and stroked Mew with the back of his hand before embracing her with his mind, and began gently rocking her in an affectionate manner. "Thank you for coming_,_" he said, with his natural voice, slow as the setting sun and smooth as oiled leather. He was mildly pleased that his vocal cords, unused as they were, were able to produce the desired sound.

Again, Mew let out a low, mewing noise that vibrated out of the back of her throat. "_You have such a pretty voice, why don't you use it more?"_

He continued lulling her gently, without offering a response, until there was a slight knock on the door, followed by the door opening, and Zelda stepping in. Blue eyes swayed from side to side, absorbing every detail, and noting the strange look of happiness that Mewtwo had on his face. That the somber mask he wore was capable of breaking was somehow surprising.

"I heard you were feeling better," Zelda said.

"_Yes," _Mewtwo nodded.

"I know some spells that will accelerate the healing process."

"_Thank you. But no. I have no matches on the horizon of course, and its better to allow nature to do its work, even when you're unnatural."_ Mewtwo cocked his head from side to side cracking the muscles in his main neck. He stopped cradling Mew, and Mew, surprised at the lack of support, fell two feet through the air before regaining her composure and staying afloat by her own will.

"_You still have doubts about Link's involvement?"_

"I just," she said, putting her arms over her chest. "I can't let this feeling go that he somehow had something to do with it. I've looked in his eyes, and I believe him, but there's a voice that tells me he's lying."

"_Even if he did somehow have something to do with it, I don't hold it against him. His motivations were understandable, even a tad noble. Besides, lots of people try to kill."_

"That's not the point."

"_Then, may I ask, what is the point? No harm was done."_

_"Yeah, get over it already. Not like you're the one eating through an IV," Mew said._

A stern gaze shut the kitten up, but the princess still nodded understandingly.

"_You gave me a reading on the triforce," Mewtwo started. "Link carries the essence of courage. A key aspect of courage is to admit when you have wronged someone. And Link is courageous. I have absolutely no doubt that if he had done something and now was faced with the consequences, he would have told me of them, and asked my forgiveness. He is as good a man as men can be."_

"_Where are you going?" _Mew asked, as Zelda silently turned to leave. But the princess didn't answer. "_What a bitch," _Mew muttered, floating back to Mewtwo's side. "_What was that crap about the Triforce?"_

_"I don't know. I was making it up as I went along."_

_"Do you think that Link really had anything to do with it?"_

Mewtwo shrugged_. "Hard to tell. He's got a strong mind for an idiot, I can't read him without his consent. Be kinda nice if he did try to kill me, it would make me feel like one of the guys."_

XXX

Breathless, noiseless, she moved through the forest woods, only the moon's light to guide her movements. Mewtwo loved the moon. How many nights had they shared, staring at it? Wordless nights bathed in the silver rays. She made a silent promise to spend a night with him under the stars, once he was feeling well enough to leave his bed. He was a good friend, a good person. Or Pokemon, whatever it was. He didn't receive enough credit amongst the others, most passing him as an egotist, just because he mostly kept to himself. Or they used other, much more colorful terms. Almost everyone referred to him as "it" or "the clone", never as "he", never as "Mewtwo".

The sad, gentle song was carried to her with a change in the wind currents. Slow and soft as a lullaby, haunting as a shadow in a child's room. She recognized the sound, the tune, how many breathes were taken between each note. The subtle style of the melody. It was unmistakable.

She found Link near the lake, sitting on a rock. His back was towards her, and she made no noise, so he didn't notice her as she crept silently along the soft, wet grass. Without announcing her presence, she sat down beside him. A moment's hesitance in his tune as he looked to her, but he quickly resumed the lingering melody. Zelda took out her harp, tracing the wires with one finger to obtain the whisper of various octaves. Slowly, she began.

**That dialogue between Mewtwo and Zelda is so stupid, but for the record, its supposed to be stupid and clichéd.**

**Well, this story has come to an end. I have nothing left written, and no inspiration to write. I hope to someday come back to this universe, and eventually I probably will, but nothing right now. If i have any updates, i'll put them in my profile. Thank you all my readers. I hope that I have kept your interest through the 12 chapters. And particularly thank you Pae, since your support has been key.**

**And when SSB4 is announced, be sure to flood Nintendo with e-mails until they put Mewtwo back in. That Jigglypuff was put in over him is an atrocity to all that is good.**

**This has been P.M. Wolf, signing off.**


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